Rent a paint sprayer for fast, even coverage on large areas

Rent an airless paint sprayer from a home improvement store (Home Depot, Lowe's) or equipment rental center for large painting projects. Airless sprayers pump paint at high pressure through a small tip, atomizing it into a fan pattern that covers surfaces extremely quickly. After thorough masking of all non-painted surfaces, spray walls and ceilings with overlapping passes maintaining a consistent 12-inch distance and steady, sweeping arm motion.

Why It Works

An airless sprayer covers a standard room (walls and ceiling) in 15-30 minutes versus 2-4 hours with a roller. The spray pattern produces a smooth, uniform film without brush strokes or roller stipple. For projects involving multiple rooms, entire houses, or large unfinished spaces (basements, garages), the time savings are dramatic. Renting avoids the $300-800 purchase price of a quality airless sprayer while still giving you access to professional-grade equipment.

Tips

• Rental cost is typically $50-75 per day or $150-250 per week; for a multi-room project, the weekly rate is far more economical
• Ask the rental shop to demonstrate setup, tip selection, and cleanup procedure -- most will walk you through it
• Use a 515 or 517 spray tip for walls and ceilings (the first digit doubled gives the fan width in inches; the last two digits are the orifice size in thousandths)
• Strain the paint through a mesh filter before pouring it into the sprayer hopper to prevent tip clogs
• Back-roll immediately after spraying each section (follow behind with a lightly loaded roller) to work the paint into the wall texture and eliminate runs -- this is standard professional practice
• Masking takes significantly longer than the actual spraying; budget 2-3 hours of masking time per room
• Flush the entire sprayer with water (latex) or mineral spirits (oil-based) immediately after finishing -- dried paint inside the pump and hose can cause hundreds of dollars in damage to a rental unit
• Return the sprayer clean to avoid cleaning surcharges ($50-100 is common)
• Common mistake: not practicing on cardboard first -- the first 5 minutes with a sprayer will be uneven and drippy until you calibrate your speed and distance